Woodridge man sues animal hospital, alleges negligence in death of his Great Dane

Bella

Courtesy of Gary Austin

Bella, Gary Austin's tan-and-black Great Dane, died last summer, four days after she arrived at VCA Arboretum View Animal Hospital in Downers Grove. Austin is now suing the hospital and four veterinarians, alleging malpractice and professional negligence

Bella, Gary Austin's tan-and-black Great Dane, died last summer, four days after she arrived at VCA Arboretum View Animal Hospital in Downers Grove. Austin is now suing the hospital and four veterinarians, alleging malpractice and professional negligence (Courtesy of Gary Austin)

By Christy GutowskiTribune reporter

Man sues, alleging malpractice and professional negligence in the death of his beloved dog

"She was a great dog," said Gary Austin, who is suing an animal hospital in the death of his beloved dog

A Woodridge man who racked up a nearly $13,000 bill trying unsuccessfully to save his dog’s life has sued an animal hospital and four veterinarians, alleging malpractice and professional negligence.

Austin and his wife, Cynthia, rushed Bella to the 24-hour emergency clinic at 11:30 p.m. August 23 after they said their dog suddenly became ill at home. Surgery to correct their pet’s stomach problem was delayed until about 4 a.m., according to the suit.

Bella remained at the clinic until early August 27 when staff called the couple to alert them that the dog likely would not survive. Bella died that morning just before Gary Austin arrived to say goodbye. She was 3 1/2 years old.

“She was a great dog,” he said. “She was very sweet, great with kids and for some reason decided she would take on the role of protector in the family.”

I had problems with a popular pet chain, and complained and called corporate office and they blew me off,my pet also had many test, also the adoption that I got my dog from, lied about her being spaded, we didn't find out until four years later, that it had not been done. how do you find a...

A necropsy report determined Bella died of a ruptured stomach and subsequent infection, according to the lawsuit. An independent expert found that the animal hospital initially incorrectly diagnosed Bella’s condition and failed to perform an immediate surgery and other measures, the lawsuit states.

The suit also named the clinic’s parent company, VCA Animal Hospitals, of Los Angeles, Calif., which operates more than 600 animal hospitals nationwide.

The company did not respond to requests for comment. But in a letter it wrote to Austin’s credit card company after he disputed the bill, staff insisted their care of Bella was “aggressive” and “appropriate.”

“The surgery was performed and all treatment and tests were completed in an appropriate manner,” the letter stated.

According to Austin’s lawsuit, the emergency hospital had only one surgeon on duty that morning to perform Bella’s operation and three other procedures. The dog’s death was the result of the hospital’s “failure to properly render emergency or other specialized care and treatment,” the suit said.

“We got her there within 10 minutes,” Gary Austin said. “Why did it take them until 4 in the morning to do something? We trusted them and told them do whatever you have to do to help her.”

There is no contest to see who can vote earliest, but Downers Grove residents are leading the way compared to several nearby communities when it comes to early voting, according to tallies from the DuPage County Election Commission.